An African black leopard also known as ‘Black Panther’ has been spotted in Kenya for the first time in 100 years.

Biologists captured the rare footage of a big cat strolling in Kenya,
making it the first time the animal has been photographed in Africa
since 1909, more than a century ago, in Ethiopia.

Nick Pilfold, a San Diego Zoo global scientist, said they captured the footage after months of watching and waiting.

His team of biologists had placed remote wildlife cameras to track
the leopard when they heard unconfirmed reports of a possible black
leopard sighting.

“We intensified our camera placement in the area the reports were
being made. Within a few months, we were rewarded with multiple
observations on our cameras” he said The female leopard’s coat color is
pitch black as a result of melanism, a gene mutation that results in an
over-production of pigment, Pilfold said.

It’s the opposite of albinism — and although the leopard’s coat
appears black during the day, its rosette patterns are visible in
nighttime infrared imagery.